I am Sorry
by Ignorant Sparrow
Summary: Aang finally gets to say it. Takes place during the Serpent's Pass. Read and Review please!


Toph shivered silently. She was soaked to bone. But she couldn't worry about it right now. They had a bigger problem. The serpent was roaring as Katara and Aang fought it. After a fierce blow as a combined effort of the master and the student hit the giant sea monster, it went back in to the depth of the sea, howling. Everyone cheered, including Toph. Though she couldn't see a thing she heard it all.

An half an hour later they all were dragging their exhausted feet to the safety of the camp site. In the light of recent fight with the serpent, no one, not even Katara noticed how Toph was falling behind and how she looked feverish. Sokka's focus was constantly on Suki who was getting irritated with him. Aang hadn't focused really on anything but on the journey after they lost Appa. Ying and her family were too worried about the fire nation and Katara kept a closer look on Aang. No Aang neither Katara even remembered to bend away the water that was drenching Toph. Nor did it occur to Toph that she should probably tell them to.

Toph slowly mustered the energy left in her and bent an earth tent. She didn't bother about her wet hair or clothes. She was burning up. She was tired. She just wanted to sleep.

Few hours later the sun slowly started to sink. Suki was the one first to notice that the noisy little earthbender was too quiet that evening. She walked up to the earth tent and knocked. "Toph?" She called wanting to check whether the girl who had almost drowned was doing OK.

No answer came to her call. She knocked again raising her voice a little. "Toph, Are you OK?"

Toph did not answer in the second time as well. Katara turned her head towards Suki's direction as her voice rose. "What's wrong?" She asked getting up and walking there as well.

"She isn't answering." Suki said narrowing her brows.

"Toph? Open up." Katara knocked hard on the tent. But still no answer came.

"Aang bring this tent down" Katara told Aang who was leaning against a boulder few feet away. Aang got to his feet and with a single motion of his arm, the earth plates sank back to earth. Toph was past a sleep on the floor, curled in to a ball. Her clothes and hair were apparently wet.

Katara knelt down besides her and placed a palm on her forehead. Her expression went from alarmed to worry as her palm touched Toph's pale skin.

"Spirits! Toph you are burning up." She said to the motionless earthbender, who now looked like the weak little porcelain doll her parents assumed her to be. For the first time from a long while, Aang observed his earth bending master with eyes fill of concern.

"She is still drenched in water. And her hair is still in that bun." Suki said kneeling down as well and letting loose Toph's hair. "We need to dry her up."

Katara bended the water drenching her with a fluid motion of her wrist and tried to get Toph in to a comfortable laying position.

"There'd be an extra tunic in my bag. Suki get it. And some water and a sleeping bag too." Katara said. "Goodness! She'd been sleeping in this mess for hours."

Aang stomped his feet and shot his hands upward making an earth tent big enough to shelter four people, surrounding Katara and Toph. Sokka looked worried. He hadn't paid the slightest attention to Toph for the last twenty four hours, not even after she practically saved his life.

Suki entered the tent carrying a water bowl and white tunic. Sokka handed over the sleeping bag to them and left the tent leaving Toph to Katara and Suki.

Toph whimpered unconsciously as Katara tried to make her turn. She looked tiny and fragile. "Toph can you hear me?" Katara asked as she brushed the bangs away from Toph's forehead. Toph was half awake thanks to twists and turns and voices she was receiving. She wanted to go back to sleep.

"mhm.." She mumbled trying to curl back in to a ball. But Suki held her arms. "You need to change Toph. The clothes are damp."

"Me fine… lemme sleep…" Toph mumbled struggling weakly. Her eyelids were heavy and head was aching.

Katara and Suki turned deaf ears to Toph's mumble and changed her clothes. The thin white sleeveless tunic was a bit loose to Toph. There were few cuts and bruises in her shoulder blades, probably results of serpent's almost fatal attack that destroyed the ice bridge or the little island. They seem infected. Katara bit her bottom lip.

"Toph you should have told me sooner. These cuts look bad." She snapped making Toph sit. Toph's head lolled as she mumbled "didn't know". Katara got her hands covered in water and started healing the cuts and bruises. Thankfully, Katara was a talented healer. So within ten minutes Toph was put to sleep in the warm and comforting sleeping bag, dressed up in the loose white tunic, hair laid down and well combed. Ying had a medicine kit that provided herbs needed for Suki to brew a potion for Toph.

Aang entered the tent carrying the bowl of medicine Suki just brewed. Katara was sitting besides Toph's sleeping form stabilizing her weak chi flow.

"How is she?" Aang asked sitting down. He couldn't believe Toph could look actually this fragile and innocent.

"Weak, but she'll be OK."Katara said taking the bowl from Aang. "Toph! TOPH wake up" She said to the earthbender, shaking her slightly. Toph jerked awake, opened her eyes for the briefest moment and closed them again. "Just wanna sleep." Aang and Katara heard her mutter sleepily.

Aang gently grabbed her upper arms and pulled her up. "Come on Toph. You need to drink this potion." Toph was annoyed by this continuous harassments. Despite how weak and feverish she was she still managed to snap at her two friends. "Will you guys let me SLEEP!" She coughed as her head lolled. "I'm just FINE!"

Aang got round her and shouldered her petite form. Toph automatically leaned against Aang. She was falling asleep again.

"Toph you can sleep after you drink this potion." Katara said raising her voice a little. "I promise."

Toph half opened her eyes and 'looked' at Katara. "Pinky promise?" She asked outstretching her pinky. Her voice did not sound as sarcastic or mocking. She sounded like a five year old little girl to Aang and Katara. They shared a look. Aang blinked. His strong, almighty earthbending master was asking for a 'pinky promise'. But now wasn't the time to make any witty remark about it. He slowly nodded to Katara.

"Pinky promise!" Katara said entwining her pinky with Toph's.

Katara supported Toph's head with one hand and brought the bowl to her lips with the other. She drank the potion with difficulty. Aang slowly put Toph back in to the sleeping bag and watched as she drifted in to an uneasy sleep.

"She'll be OK Aang." Katara said getting up with the empty bowl in her hand. Her lips had curved in to a small smile. "Pinky promise!"

"I never imagined that Toph could be so adorable." Aang said looking up and smiling. "I'll stay with her."

Katara nodded "That's better. Keep checking her temperature and call me if she gets any worse. Don't let her twist much. The cuts on her shoulder blades are pretty bad."

Aang gave Katara a worried look. "She should have told you sooner then!" He said looking down at Toph.

"Yeah. She should have. But it seems that she was unaware of those." Katara said shaking her head and walked out of the tent.

Aang watched his sifu sleep. There was something about this tiny, fragile, weak Toph, who wanted a pinky promise from katara, that made Aang wanted to cuddle her and protect her from the cruelty of life. Aang knew if she heard his thought she'd have smacked him and split his head in to two without hesitation. But Aang understood why her parents had been acting so over protective of her.

After a while Toph started twisting slightly. Her small hands curled in to balls and her forehead wrinkled. "No!" She muttered. It seemed like she was having some sort of a nightmare. Aang raised a brow. He put one hand on her shoulder and another on her forehead. "It's alright Toph. Sh..!" He said soothingly.

"I'm sorry Appa!" Toph mumbled in her sleep as a single tear escaped her eye.

Aang's heart sank. He had yelled at Toph for letting the sand benders take Appa. He had blamed her saying she'd have done something to stop them that she hated Appa and she wanted him gone. He had never stopped to think what she must have gone through in choosing them and letting Appa go, that if she didn't make that choice where'd they all be and what'd happened to the world. He had never realized how difficult it must have been for her and how guilty she must have been feeling ever since. Toph hadn't said a word. She seemed to know that he had never meant any of it and that he just had wanted someone to blame. She had taken the blame silently. She wasn't bothered by his blame but she was certainly bothered by her guilt of letting Appa go and fear of loosing him forever.

Aang slowly wiped the tear from Toph's face and brushed the bangs out of her forehead. I'm sorry I yelled at you Toph. I never meant any of it." He said placing a kiss on her pale forehead. "We'll find him. We will."

Aang wasn't sure if she heard him. But Toph's posture relaxed as she continued to sleep. He stayed lightly embracing her sleeping form for another hour until Katara poked her head in to the tent and called him for dinner. Aang unwillingly stood up as Katara assured him that she'd be staying with Toph for the night and heal her completely.

Toph woke up next morning. She was still a little weak but was fit for travelling. Katara made sure she gulped down the medical potion once again and ate all her porridge like a bossy mother hen.

The day had been eventful as Ying had her baby and Sokka had fainted seeing her in labor. Hope, the baby had made Aang finally spill emotional tears. Suki had said goodbye to them and Aang was about to leave to find Appa.

"Say hi to that fuzz ball for me." Toph said punching him on the upper arm. Aang winced then he smiled.

"I will. I promise." He said to Toph. "Pinky promise." He said entwining his pinky with Toph's.

Toph blinked. "Umm-"she mumbled uncertainly. Katara grinned winking at Aang who kissed Toph on the cheek and flew up, his heart as light as a feather and filled with hope once again.


End file.
